Four takeaways from the Milwaukee Bucks' commanding Christmas Day win over the New York Knicks

Scott Rafferty

Four takeaways from the Milwaukee Bucks' commanding Christmas Day win over the New York Knicks image

Led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the New York Knicks by a final score of 109-95 in the first of five Christmas Day games.

From Antetokounmpo making his long-awaited Christmas Day debut to Kevin Knox's performance, here are four takeaways from the game.

A rough shooting game for both teams

Neither team shot particularly well in this one.

The Bucks made only 18.8 percent of their 3-point attempts and 67.6 percent of their free throw attempts. The Knicks shot slightly better from the perimeter (28.6 percent) and free throw line (81.0), but they made only 36.5 percent of their field goal attempts.

The Knicks also turned the ball over 15 teams, leading to 15 points for the Bucks.

The Christmas Day debut of Giannis

Now in his sixth NBA season, Giannis Antetokounmpo made his Christmas Day debut on Tuesday and didn't disappoint.

The front-runner for MVP this season got the game off to a strong start with 13 points (6-11 FG) and nine rebounds in the first half. He also made an impact on the defensive end in coming up with a pair of steals, one of which led to a powerful dunk in transition.


Antetokounmpo then exploded in the third quarter when the Bucks began to distance themselves from the Knicks. He finished the game with 30 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and four steals.

In the process, Antetokounmpo became the first Buck since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1972 to score 30-plus points on Christmas Day.

The Third Quarter

Antetokounmpo wasn't the only player on the Bucks to play well in the third quarter.

Six different players on Milwaukee got on the scoreboard in the frame. Eric Bledsoe and George Hill each had five points, Brook Lopez, Malcolm Brodgon and Thon Maker each had four points and Sterling Brown chipped in with three points off the bench.

The Bucks outscored the Knicks 36-22 in the third, giving them a double-digit lead that they held on to the rest of the way.

The Rookie Showcase

The New York Knicks are unique this season in that they have three rookies in their rotation in Kevin Knox, Allonzo Trier and Mitchell Robinson.

While Robinson missed the game with an ankle injury, Trier scored eight points off the bench after missing seven straight games with a hamstring injury and Knox led the Knicks with 21 points.

Knox shot only 8-for-20 from the field, but he put his versatility as a scorer on display by knocking down a 3-pointer, draining several floaters and getting out in transition.

 

Following a slow start this season, Knox is starting to find his stride in the month of December. Heading into Christmas Day, he was averaging 17.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists over 11 games.

Scott Rafferty

Scott Rafferty Photo

 

Scott Rafferty is an experienced NBA journalist who first started writing for The Sporting News in 2017. There are few things he appreciates more than a Nikola Jokic no-look pass, Klay Thompson heat check or Giannis Antetokounmpo eurostep. He's a member of the NBA Global team.